Dharma Talk “Stop and transform karma” – The 103rd Seven-Day Retreat.

On Aug. 26th, 2024 (July 23rd, LC), Most Thich Giac Dang, Abbot of Ngoc Trung Temple in Can Tho had a talk named Stop and transform karma to all participants in the 103rd Seven-Day Retreat.

All the operations of happiness or suffering in the world for each individual and collective are within a law that the Buddha called cause and effect. The law of cause and effect is objective, not a separate teaching of the Buddha reserved for Buddhism, but it is a general law, governing all operations in this world. With wisdom and compassion, the Buddha taught the theory of karma arising from cause and effect, based on the foundation of cause and effect. 

The power of karma is called attraction. In the Nikaya sutras, the Buddha taught: sentient beings are the owners of karma, the heirs of karma. The Venerable analyzed very thoroughly about cause, effect and karma to help the listeners have the right understanding, not be superstitious.

Cause is seed, effect is fruit. Karma is a closed circle.  This circle is created from an initial point, which is each action of body, speech, or mind. When having an action, a word, a thought, we create a starting point of karmic cause. The point reaches the whole circle, then the result will appear, called the fruit. This circle is called the cycle of karma. The first starting point of the new circle is called the karma cause. The movement of this point has factors that add or subtract to it, called karma conditions. When this point reaches the starting point, the circle disappears and karma results appear. Karma cause, karma conditions, karma results, all three processes are collectively called karma. Any being that creates karma causes, that being must receive its own karma results.

There are two types of created circles: one is good, the other is bad. When a bad circle of an unwholesome action ends, we will receive the result of suffering; when a good circle of a wholesome action ends, we will receive the result of happiness and joy.

We have created countless circles from countless lifetimes until now. Among them, there are circles that have ended, there are unfinished circles that are carried along. If a circle is created, whether good or bad, that starting point runs a full circle in this life, then that retribution is called immediate retribution. There are cases where the circle runs slower, until death, the starting point has not yet completed the circle, then these unfinished circles will still follow us to the next life, which is called rebirth retribution. There are large circles that move more slowly, this life has not ended, the next life has not ended, but it will take many or very more lives to end, we call it post-retribution.

In the Dhammapada, the Buddha taught:

“By oneself is evil done,

by oneself defiled,

by oneself it's left undone,

by self alone one purified.

Purity, impurity on oneself depend,

no one can purify another.”

The Venerable explained clearly the power of karma to have a thorough view of the karma’s cause, condition, and effect. Thanks to that, we will have a peaceful life, accepting everything that comes to us whether good or bad. The most important thing is that we know how to select good karma to plant, so that we can reap good results in the future.

After the Dharma talk, he spent 15 minutes answering questions from the practitioners about the lecture and applying the Buddha's teachings in life.

Group activities in the lecture halls in the afternoon, monks in the management board answer questions from Buddhists.

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